The 28th match of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 will take place between India Women and South Africa Women in Christchurch on 27th March. While South Africa has already qualified for the semi-final, a victory for India will seal their spot in the semi-final.
They are currently at the fifth position on the points table on the back of winning and losing three matches each, and they have to face a must-win situation to qualify for the next round. On the other hand, South Africa lost only one game out of their six league matches so far. So, the game is going to be dead-rubber for them.
But, they would love to maintain their winning record against India in recent times(four wins in the last five matches). While India have won both their ODIs at the Hadley Oval thus far, South Africa had lost their solitary WODI here. However, these teams will be playing a Christchurch WODI after as many as 22 years.
Notably, India beat Bangladesh convincingly in their last game. Batting first, they posted 229-7, with Yastika Bhatia scoring a fifty. Bangladesh were bundled out for 119, with Sneh Rana taking four wickets. They will now look to seal their berth in the semi-finals by winning their last league game.
South Africa, meanwhile, played a 20-over-per-side contest where they had the worst start in the rain-affected game as they lost their first four wickets inside six overs. Mignon du Preez top-scored with 38 before the rain arrived in the 11th over and washed out the match. Nevertheless, the points were divided into both sides, and South Africa sealed their berth in the semi-finals.
While India openers - Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma are in form, no one can deny the fact that Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar’s all-round show has been helping the team in the tournament. On the other hand, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus and Shabnim Ismail are the four key players for South Africa who are capable enough to turn the table on any day.
Match Details
India Women vs South Africa Women- Match 28
Date and Time- March 27th, 2022, 6:30 AM IST
Venue- Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Broadcast- Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report
As far as the pitch is concerned, it is a balanced one. The new ball comes nicely onto the bat so it can be a batters’ day out on this track. Bowlers have to be a bit more disciplined with their lines and lengths on this surface.
Weather Report
The temperature is likely to hover between 11 to 18 degrees Celsius, and it will stay humid throughout the day as well.
Squads
India Women
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj(c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh(w), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia, Renuka Singh, Poonam Yadav.
South Africa Women
Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Lara Goodall, Sune Luus (c), Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune, Tazmin Brits, Masabata Klaas, Sinalo Jafta, Nonkululeko Mlaba
Probable XIs
India Women
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.
South Africa Women
Lizelle Lee, Laura Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus (c), Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Trisha Chetty (wk), Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Tumi Sekhukhune.
CE Fantasy XI
Shafali Verma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Ayabonga Khaka, Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus
Captain- Marizanne Kapp
Vice-captain- Pooja Vastrakar